A hardy Matucana

[iann]

I grow some Matucana haynei, and a handful of others, because they are hardy enough to survive winter in my greenhouse, even last winter, without any apparent stress. This little one decided it is no longer winter.

[ianstrutt]

What a beaut. Never grown matucana as I'm worried about keeping them happy over the winter.

This is definitely one to add to the want list.

[el48tel]

Yup
A beauty.
Mine has never flowered. Perhaps cold GH this winter.

[iann]

What a beaut. Never grown matucana as I'm worried about keeping them happy over the winter.

This is definitely one to add to the want list.

Some are definitely not hardy. As a quick rule of thumb, the more spiny they are the hardier they are. Don't try to freeze M. madisoniorum!

[ralphrmartin]

Matucana hoxeyi is very cold sensitive. The spiny ones, and the shiny ones (with glosssy bodies) rather less so in general., although they can lose their gloss if they get too cold.
My favourite is M. polzii. It has offsets on almost every areole, if you let it, but if you take them off, they readily root up, and the parent is more likely to reward you with a flower like this. Given its ese of propagation and super flower, I'm surprised it is not more common:

[Tony R]

My favourite is M. polzii. It has offsets on almost every areole, if you let it, but if you take them off, they readily root up ....

Indeed, Ralph, I must remember to pot up some more of these babies:

[Mike P]

Here’s my M oreodoxa this morning. I wasn’t expecting the flowers to be such a shocking pink I must say. As I understand it it’s not hardy.
I wonder how Grahams book is coming along?

as it’s a Genus which deserves to be better known.

[Mal H]

Good colour on the oreodoxa

here are a couple showing today

purpureoalba FR1063

paucicostata

[Patrick]

Here’s my M oreodoxa this morning. I wasn’t expecting the flowers to be such a shocking pink I must say. As I understand it it’s not hardy.
I wonder how Grahams book is coming along?

It'll be ready last Christmas (or was it the one before?)

[Elizabeth]

I'm exceedingly partial to Matucanas and find them largely trouble free - apart from the cold sensitive M. madisoniorum. They sit in a very bright spot in the greenhouse and most flower well, often several spurts in a season. I'm not sure why they aren't more popular.

Mat. herzogiana has been stunning my non-cactophile husband this week:



Another good one for the wonderful clear yellow is Mat. weberbaueri:



And an old plant - the label is inconveniently inaccessible as the plant is wedging it against the rear of the pot:



I found that my plants of Mat. roseiflora and rebutiflora marked badly over the severe winter - they looked like they'd been wrapped in brown paper. However they are far from dead and fresh green is appearing.

I'm not above buying the occasional hybrid either from Southfields!

I'm eager to see Graham's forthcoming book....